​​'We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land, the Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi people, who have walked and cared for this land for thousands of years. We extend our acknowledgment to their descendants who maintain their spiritual connection and traditions.

We thank them for sharing their cultures, spiritualities and ways of living with the land in this place we all now call home.

We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. 

May we continue to walk gently and respectfully together.'

Our school community includes many students who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

​Culturally inclusive mural.

Over 2 weeks in May 2021, students and artists, Dave and Ben from Rhythm Colour Collective and Nikita from New Dreaming Art, collaborated to create 2 huge murals on our school grounds.

Emu Walking - Peregian Springs State School Mural - Artist statement: 

A collaboration story of two cultures coming together to share a vision. 

The artists behind this project: 

• Dave and Ben from Rhythm Colour Collective. These two artists have a wonderful realistic vibe to their art and really capture the movement in scenes. A mixture of styles with an abstract twist to their images makes them one of a kind to work with.
• Nikita from New Dreaming Art brings a beautiful cultural presence to the mural with a strong respectful knowledge of First Nations' history and storytelling. 

The story is based around the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students coming together and expressing what they wanted to be represented on the school wall. 

*community

*meeting place and home

*heritage

*emu

*surrounding areas

*bunya trees

*travel tracks

*native plants to this country 

Altogether, combined, these pieces show the children's connections and bloodlines, the fact that we hold some sort of heritage from somewhere. None of us are the same, but when coming together as a unit, as a community we can all move forward to create a better education and understanding for the future generations to come. As the students move through schooling, they will grow and so will their dreams, that's what the stars represent and the wildlife around them that they get to enjoy as well as the native flowers and bush life. 

The bunya trees that grow all over the GubbiGubbi/KabiKabi nation show us where we are and what country we are on. These trees hold very important purpose to the traditional owners of this land and can be used for many things. They were traded on a yearly basis throughout the country and not just in Queensland. 

Each First Nations student also put their hand prints in the shape of what we called a humpy, a hut of sorts, to sleep under when out walking on country. 

This project brought us all together - creating this story for the students and staff at Peregian Springs State School and it has been an honour. We look forward to continuing this amazing project soon. 

Thank you ​

Nikita, Dave, Ben​

EMU DREAMING - The Ocean scene extension.

​The extension of the 'Emu Dreaming Mural' flows into the Peregian waters, depicting the ocean and sea-life that occupy our coast lines. Throughout different times of the year a range of species migrate to our oceans and lands. We have included the​​ whale and local sea mullet as they stick together like a community. The use of the traditional water symbol is present and the representation of the sky and the reflection of the stars on the ocean show that we are forever growing and aiming for bigger and brighter futures. The footsteps through the sandy Peregian Beach allows the children to see their connections to the Sunshine Coast views and lifestyle.  

The big clouds in the sky show off our amazing skyline and the beautiful realistic 'Pigs Face' yellow beach flowers that grow extensively in the sand dunes. The bottom right corner shows the ancestors of the sea, north, south, east and west. These spirits project our children and family in the ocean and keep them safe.​

Nikita, Dave, Ben​​

​